Ardingly College

Sixth Form Boarding House

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Project Value:

£6.2million

Client:

Completion:

2012

Key Points

EPC Rating B

Boarding house for 110 students

En-suite facilities

Separate boys’ and girls’ areas

College founded in 1858

One of Britain’s leading independent schools

Ardingly College, West Sussex was founded in 1858 and is one of Britain’s leading independent schools, attracting students from around the world. To continue to do so the College identified the need to enhance the quality and extent of its preparatory teaching and boarding accommodation in line with increasing student expectations.

Associated Architects was appointed by Ardingly College to design a new Sixth Form boarding house for 110 students, providing individual student bedrooms with en-suite facilities, supporting the transition between College and University life.

Linear Design

The Sixth Form boarding house sits adjacent to the Grade II listed main College buildings, occupying a linear site previously occupied by a number of storage buildings of limited architectural value.

This site, which bounds the northern edge of the main College cricket pitch and set behind a row of mature Horse Chestnut trees, is set 4 metres below the level of the pitch. The boarding house has a linear pitch roofed form, and is set as far back away from the trees as possible. The building uses the site levels to conceal its four storeys, which read as only two storeys when viewed from the cricket pitch side.

The boarding accommodation is configured as one boarding house with the ability of being split to provide separate boys’ and girls’ areas. This accommodation is provided over three storeys including the roof space, and common areas for students are provided at the lower ground floor level. At the lower ground floor level ancillary elements of accommodation including plant rooms, electrical rooms and laundry have been appropriately located here below ground level, against the retaining wall to the change of level to the cricket pitch.

Staff Accommodation

In addition, the building also contains two apartments for the House Masters and their families. This accommodation is split over two levels with the main external entrances located at lower ground floor level, accessed through private garden space, and is connected into the boarding house at the lower ground and upper ground levels.

With the use of deep reveals, a limited palette of high quality materials, crisp brickwork detailing and large format picture windows, the building uses a contemporary architectural language whilst providing a coherent and respectful relationship with the adjacent listed main College building.